36 
FOREIGN TRADE ZONES 
has thus far been carried on, it can not be said that the free deposit 
has had any great effect on the development of Spain’s foreign trade. 
The free ports of Almeria and Bilbao, Spain, have apparently had 
no important influence on the development of foreign trade. 
Vice Consul Howard A. Bowman cites the increase of the total 
imports and exports by sea at Fiume as evidence that the free zone 
at this port has exercised an enormous influence on the development 
of foreign trade. Statistics presented with his report show that the 
total imports and exports in the free zone for the year 1922 amounted 
to 300,860 tons, as compared with 1,551,430 tons in 1926; while in 
1927 the total amounted to 1,407,333 tons. In 1913 the total 
imports and exports, including those at Porto Baross, now Yugo- 
slavian, were 4,096,901 tons. He states that a closed customs barrier 
would have impeded any trade advancement owing to the competi- 
tion of Trieste, the Danube River, and the Black Sea ports. As 
already stated under ‘Influence of free ports on the merchant marine 
and shipping,” the institution of free ports both at Fiume and Trieste 
led to the establishment of regular steamship lines, with a consequent 
increase in the foreign traffic. 
In discussing the influence of the free port of Leghorn on the devel- 
opment of foreign commerce, Consul K. de G. MacVitty points out 
that while the actual free port has been of little importance in this 
respect, in connection with the olive industry it has facilitated the 
mixing of foreign imported oils with the local Tuscan olive oil, for 
the purpose of exportation. 
Consul Charles J. Pisar states that the Greek authorities are entirely 
satisfied with the progress of the Greek free zone at Saloniki since its 
inauguration in 1925. 
Consul General Ely H. Palmer, in his report on Sulina, Rumania, 
states that as the free port is entirely a local privilege, it has no 
influence on the development of foreign trade. 
REEXPORT TRADE 
The extent of international trade of the nature which the free port 
is designed to facilitate is not clearly indicated by the statistics of the 
various countries. In some countries the statistics of exports do not 
distinguish between domestic exports and exports originating in for- 
eign countries. The reexport trade of the world has been estimated 
at four to five billions of dollars annually. Difficulty is encountered 
in determining the commerce of this nature handled in free ports, not 
only for the reason mentioned above, but also because goods received 
in free ports are not uniformly classed as imports, nor shipments as 
exports. At some free ports no statistics of this nature are compiled. 
In only a few countries are the figures prepared so as to permit segre- 
pation of these different classes of trade.